They include contributions from 10 donors that appeared to exceed the maximum amount allowed and a discrepancy in the reported amount of funds left over from the 2010 election cycle, according to a Jan. 26 notice to the Shirkey campaign from a state analyst.

Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, who is seeking reelection to the 65th State House District that includes parts of Jackson County, said his campaign made mistakes — but they were not intentional and will be corrected. “This is part of the learning process of a freshman rookie in politics,” he said.

Contributions exceeding the maximum $500 per individual for an election cycle involved donors who contributed to his reelection campaign and a fund to fight recall efforts against him, Shirkey said. Each of the 10 individuals donated a total of $1,000. “Basically we need to show that we spent it on recall defense, and evidently we didn’t do a clear enough job of demonstrating that,” Shirkey said.

Fred Woodhams, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of State, said the individual contributions limit does not apply to candidates facing a registered recall effort. An Onsted man gained approval to circulate recall petitions against Shirkey, but his efforts later stalled without the necessary signatures being submitted.

Shirkey said he believes the nearly $32,000 discrepancy in the beginning campaign fund balance was related to the timing of when he paid himself back for loans to the campaign.

The third issue raised by the Secretary of State office was a request for more information about an in-kind donation from a legal firm that represented Shirkey in the recall efforts.Shirkey’s campaign committee has until Wednesday to amend its campaign statements to address the questions raised by state officials.